


Red Lights, Stop Signs

by ChocolateCapCookie



Series: Cookie's Stocking Fills [19]
Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Friends to Lovers, Jealous Steve Rogers, M/M, Pining, Protective Steve Rogers, Steve Rogers Needs a Hug, Tony Stark Has A Heart
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-12
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-12 12:21:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29384796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChocolateCapCookie/pseuds/ChocolateCapCookie
Summary: Steve clutched the tray of food tightly in his hands, willing himself to take deep breaths.  This wasn’t too scary. He did this all the time. He wasn’t intimidated by the prospect of bringing food to Tony’s room, not at all.Okay, maybe he was a little intimidated.
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Series: Cookie's Stocking Fills [19]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2161581
Comments: 8
Kudos: 78
Collections: POTS (18+) Stony Stocking 2020





	Red Lights, Stop Signs

**Author's Note:**

  * For [five4fighting](https://archiveofourown.org/users/five4fighting/gifts).
  * In response to a prompt by [five4fighting](https://archiveofourown.org/users/five4fighting/pseuds/five4fighting) in the [stony_stocking_2020](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/stony_stocking_2020) collection. 



Steve clutched the tray of food tightly in his hands, willing himself to take deep breaths. This wasn’t too scary. He did this all the time. He wasn’t intimidated by the prospect of _bringing food_ to Tony’s room, not at all.

Okay, maybe he was a _little_ intimidated.

But could you blame him? Steve’s love language had always been expressed in helping out and taking care of the people he loved, and he was sure that anyone with even remotely functional eyes would be able to look at him and tell he was in love with their resident billionaire, as if the rose on the tray wasn’t enough of a dead giveaway.

Anyway.

 _I can do this_ , he told himself, _I’m gonna walk in there and get him all fed and watered, and when he’s full and thanking me, I’ll ask him out._ Steve tightened his fists a little, a violent chill making its way down his body. _Ask him out_. That was a step he’d never be able to come back from.

Well, you never knew until you tried.

Taking one last deep breath to steel his nerves, Steve quietly pushed the lab door open, clutching the tray tightly to make sure nothing moved away from the perfect, precise order he’d arranged it in. It was supposed to be the most efficient way to eat a meal, at least according to the well-spoken British person on YouTube, and Steve hoped Tony would appreciate his efforts.

Tony was nowhere in sight, but Steve’s super-serum-enhanced ears picked up the sound of giggling from further behind. Setting the tray down, he turned to investigate the source of the noise — which seemed to be coming from the direction of the tiny living space Tony had built down here if he needed to crash or heat up some food or coffee.

Steve pushed the door open, not bothering to knock — he knew JARVIS would have informed Tony the minute he entered the lab — only to be greeted with the oddest sight he’d seen all day.

Tony looked up at him and grinned from where he was perched on the counter. “Hiya, Cap!” he said cheerily, wiggling his toes. It seemed a little difficult, given that he had a thick piece of sponge between them. Natsha was seated on a low stool, placing her in the perfect position to hold Tony’s other foot, inspecting it closely.

“What—”

“Natasha’s painting my nails,” said Tony happily, and now that Steve looked, he didn’t know how he had missed that all of Tony’s toes, on his right foot at least, were painted a bright purple with glittery white dots, giving it the artistic effect of a night sky. Even as he watched, Natasha painted over Tony’s big toe, covering it in quick, expert strokes. Tony’s pants were rolled up to his knees, and he seemed to be thoroughly enjoying this. 

“Uh… why?”

Natasha paused her work to glare at him. “Why not?”

“I, um—” Steve was at a loss for words “—I just didn’t think—”

“—That guys could wear nail polish? This probably is news to you, Captain, but in the 21st century, we believe in not gendering things anymore.”

“No, I didn’t mean it like that!” said Steve, hurrying to explain himself. “I just… I didn’t think Tony was the kind of person who’d like—”

“Well, I didn’t think I was either,” said Tony, an adorably thoughtful little frown on his face, “but Nat came in here and said I was working too hard and I needed a break. She said she usually gets a pedicure when she wants to relax, and offered to give me one too.” The beaming smile appeared on his face once more. “And she was right! It feels really good.”

Steve felt a wave of jealousy rush over him” and he clenched his fists involuntantarily, not even realizing why for a second. He liked Natasha, of course he did — but it was _his_ job to come down here and help Tony relax; it was _his_ job to be Tony’s supportive friend. What was Nat doing this and not Steve?

“Uh… no, thank you,” said Steve, a little too quickly. “Tony, I brought you a couple sandwiches, I left ‘em on your workbench, sorry Nat, I didn’t know you were here or I’d have brought more.” Steve stumbled over his own feet in his haste to get out of the door. “Um… have fun.”

Steve shut the door behind him and practically ran out of the lab, not even stopping when he heard Tony’s calls for him to come back. He clenched his fists as he got to the elevator, too confused to even try to understand what he was feeling right now.

Intellectually, he knew Tony and Natasha were just good friends. Tony had never seemed attracted to her, and no doubt Nat herself would never have taken Tony for a bed-partner, let alone a lover. If Steve was worried about competition, Natasha, one of his very closest friends, was not who he should be worried about.

Still, even knowing all of this, even as he tried to convince himself he wasn’t acting like an idiot… it _stung_ , a little. Tony knew he was always down with food at this time. He was supposed to be the person who took care of Tony, and helped him relax and made him get that adorably happy grin on his face. That was _Steve’s_ job. Not Nat’s.

Steve frowned, resisting the urge to punch the wall. How long was this elevator taking?

“JARVIS—” 

“The elevator will be down in a minute, Captain,” said JARVIS’s disembodied voice smoothly. “We’re experiencing a few… technical errors.”

“Of course you are,” Steve muttered under his breath, stalking forward to sit down on the small bench outside of Tony’s lab, burying his head in his hands. He should’ve tried the elevator inside the lab, although, thinking about it, he didn’t want to spend any more time in the lab than he had to right now.

“Steve!”

Steve instinctively shot up at the familiar voice, wincing when he registered what he’d done. Tony was walking towards him, or waddling, really, frowning so cutely that he looked like a small, angry penguin.

Steve loved him so, so much.

“What was that, Rogers!?” Tony exploded, gripping Steve’s shirt. “Don’t tell me you don’t respect me anymore for — for what? Doing something with my friend that, let me repeat, _does not need to be gendered_?” Tony loosened his hold on Steve, shaking his head. “I mean, I understand, okay; I get that it might be hard for you to see how much we’ve blurred the line between femininity and masculinity, but seriously, Steve, you didn’t need to run out of there like you’d seen Nat _murder_ me or something.” He looked so sad and hurt, Steve had to hold himself back from kissing that expression off his face.

“It’s not that, Tony, I promise. It actually looks good on you.” Steve gulped, unable to look Tony in the eye. “I just… I didn’t like seeing Nat… you know—”

“I know she started off as a spy, Steve, but I think I can safely say she’s not trying to kill me anymore.”

Steve lowered his head miserably. “That’s not it, Tony.” Tony scrutinized him for a couple of seconds before letting out a peal of laughter.

“Steve Rogers,” Tony crowed, “Are you… _jealous_?” Steve felt the tips of his ears burn red.

“No,” he said obstinately.

“You are,” said Tony, patting Steve on the back and laughing all the while. “Oh, c’mon, Steve, you know you’re still my best friend.” Steve felt his stomach tighten at that.

_You never knew until you try._

“I don’t want to be your friend.” It came out a little louder than he’d thought, and before Tony’s look of shocked confusion could morph to hurt, he continued, stumbling over his words. “I — I don't _just_ want to be your friend, Tony. I want to—” he paused and cleared his throat, unable to _actually say the words._

“Steve,” said Tony, quiet and shocked. “Are you—” Steve nodded, blushing even harder. He couldn’t look Tony in the eye, instead fiddling with his fingers, and wishing he’d never opened his damn mouth. He knew what was coming, the inevitable rejection, the apologies, the—

Steve’s thoughts were cut short when Tony grabbed his jaw, pulling it up until they were facing each other, and kissed him.

Tony _kissed_ Steve.

Steve could almost feel his brain short—circuiting.

“I— what—”

“Whatever you were going to ask, it’s a yes,” said Tony, looking at Steve like he had the stars in his eyes. “Yes, I’ll go out with you, I’ll go on a date with you, I’ll go to the movies… whatever you want.”

“What if I was going to ask you to marry me?”

Tony stared at him, shocked for a second before bursting into a loud peal of laughter. He grabbed Steve’s face again, kissing him again and again and again, like he could no longer control himself.

“I would’ve said yes.”

**Author's Note:**

> I don’t know how much this fits your prompt exactly 😅 but I hope you liked it, tar! Happy Valentine’s day!


End file.
